Can you remember the last time someone read you a novel out loud?
Maybe it was bedtime stories with your kids. Maybe The Princess Bride, with the grandfather reading the epic pirate tale to his sick grandson. (“When I was your age, television was called books.” Classic.)
For me, it was about a decade ago, on a friend’s sailboat. A few of us took turns reading Game of Thrones aloud, swaying with the gentle movement of the boat. We’d read for a while, then pause to jump overboard for a swim. Then we’d climb back in, dry off, and pick up where we left off.
It was completely impractical. And totally wonderful.
There was nowhere else to be. Nothing to accomplish. No one on their phone. Just a good story, a few friends, the sound of someone’s voice, and the strange and nostalgic pleasure of experiencing a book together.
This September, we’re bringing that feeling back with Reading Retreats: small, in-person gatherings built around the shared experience of reading.
We choose one great book, gather a small group of people together, and take turns reading it aloud to one another.
You can read a chapter, or simply listen. There is no performance, no preparation, no expectation. We’ll read, take breaks, have something to eat and drink, look at some art, talk a little, and then pick up the story again.
By the end of the weekend, we’ll have read the whole book together.
For our inaugural Reading Retreat, we’re reading Patrick deWitt’s Dodge City, the latest from the bestselling author of The Sisters Brothers, French Exit, and The Librarianist.
It’s 1967. Lee Clarke has been expelled from university and has just received his draft notice. Before he dodges into Canada for good, he sets off on an amphetamine-fuelled, cross-country road-trip to say farewell to his scattered and somewhat estranged family, one last time.
This story is funny, strange, and a little unhinged—which feels like a pretty good way to spend a weekend.
We’ll spend the weekend on the grounds of the Salty Pear Gallery. Inside, the gallery walls will be filled with Piecemeal, a group exhibition featuring works from twenty local/ish artists. Partway through our first afternoon, gallery owner Annika will give us a private tour of the exhibition. Then we’ll return to our book.
Hosting the event at the gorgeous Salty Pear grounds offers a wonderfully dynamic combination: a novel in your hands, art on the walls, a dozen people gathered around reading, sipping on something good to drink.
Friday, September 18 | 3–6 PM
We’ll arrive, settle in, meet one another and begin reading Dodge City aloud. We’ll take a break for snacks and a tour of Piecemeal, then return to the book for another hour or so. You’ll leave with a little reading to do at home before we meet again the next afternoon.
Saturday, September 19 | 3–6 PM
We’ll pick up with more shared reading, plus snacks and drinks along the way. Then we’ll finish the book together and close out with a happy hour and conversation about the book.
There are just 12 spots for our first Reading Retreat.
September 18–19, 2026
3–6 PM each afternoon
Salty Pear Gallery, Salt Spring Island
$75
Your ticket includes:
your own copy of Dodge City to keep
light snacks and adult beverages
a Paper Covers Rock notebook
a few surprises
Mostly, though, it includes six hours in a beautiful setting with a good book and a small group of people who want to slow down and read with you.
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